Akbar's Tomb

Akbar's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar, built in 1605–1613 by his son, Jahangir. It is situated on 119 acres of grounds in Sikandra, a sub of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. The monument represents a 'posthumous portrait' for the emperor and contains precious materials, lavish decorative schemes, with a preference for open structures and combined architectural form and elements.^[1]

Location

The site is located in at Sikandra, in the suburbs of Agra and sits on the Mathura road (NH2), 8 km west-northwest of the city center. About 1km away from the tomb, lies the Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani, his favourite wife,^[2] who was later buried there by her son.

History

After Akbar's death, his son Jahangir planned and completed the construction of his father's tomb between 1605–1613. It cost 1,500,000 rupees to build and took 3 to 4 years to complete.^[3] His idea to create an open structure came from his visit to Babur's tomb in Kabul^[1]. Mariam-uz-Zamani, after the death of her husband, Akbar, laid a large garden around his tomb.^[4]

During the reign of Aurangzeb, Jats rose in rebellion under the leadership of Raja Ram Jat. Mughal prestige suffered a blow when the Jats ransacked Akbar's tomb, plundering and looting the gold, jewels, silver, and carpets. ^[5] Akbar's grave was opened and the late king's bones were burned.^[6]^[7]

As Viceroy of India, George Curzon directed extensive repairs and restoration of Akbar's mausoleum, which were completed in 1905. Curzon discussed the restoration of the mausoleum and other historical buildings in Agra in connection with the passage of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act in 1904 when he described the project as "an offering of reverence to the past and a gift of recovered beauty to the future". This preservation project may have discouraged veneration of the mausoleum by pilgrims and people living nearby.^[8]

Architecture

Began by Akbar in 1556-1605, Mughal emperors of India created a new style of architecture that combined traits of Indo-Muslim and imported Central Asian architecture. Much of the tomb's style was inspired by the Fatehpur Sikri experience. Elements specifically drawn from Gujarat tradition consisted of stepped chatrî composition, set on a high plinth, and crowned by an open-air court. The choice to host the main cenotaph in an open-air court was a functional adjustment to these elements. The entrance gateway contains the most recognizable Timurid elements; chamfered corners, facade composition, a central pishtâq, geometric intarsia, and arabesque spandrels. ^[1]

The chatrî composition, borrowed from fortified architecture, is repeated throughout the tomb's mausoleums and pavilions. The pishtâq combine both Timurid tradition and Indian elements by featuring stone revetments to the the chatrîs and pinnacles of the structure, which reach down to form multi-storied turrets.^[1]

The south gate is the largest, with four white marble chhatri-topped minarets which are similar to (and pre-date) those of the Taj Mahal, and is the normal point of entry to the tomb. The tomb itself is surrounded by a walled enclosure 105 m square. Pavillions lie to the north, east, and west sides are conceived as fortress gates but turned inwards.^[1] The tomb building is a four-tiered pyramid, surmounted by a marble pavilion containing the false tomb. The true tomb, as in other mausoleums, is in the basement. ^[9] The domed room that would normally function as a crypt, is decorated with characteristics of a main cenotaph hall. Surrounded by vaulted rooms on the perimeter, this hall allows for Tawâf to take place around it. The structure holding Akbar's cenotaph was modeled after a Gujurati prototype called the 'Tomb of the Queens' which featured a porticoed court, screened by jâlís.^[1] The buildings are constructed mainly from a deep red sandstone, enriched with features in white marble. Decorated inlaid panels of these materials and a black slate adorn the tomb and the main gatehouse. Panel designs are geometric, floral and calligraphic, and prefigure the more complex and subtle designs later incorporated in Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb.^[10]^[11]

Desecration

Background

The desecration occurred in 1691 when a Jat army attacked Akbar's tomb in Sikandra, under Rajaram, the third Mughal emperor. Following a previous unsuccessful attempt in 1685, this successful raid consisted of the army dragging out Akbar's bones and burning them. ^[12] The result of the attack was an escalation of the conflict between the Mughals and the Jats.

According to Aziz Ahmad, the Jats desecrated Akbar's tomb in revenge. He stated that no person in the subcontinent put more effort than Akbar for establishing harmony between Hindus and Muslims and elevating Hindus to be equal with Muslims.^[13] Although many Hindu kingdoms were against the invading Mughal army due to destruction of Hindu temples and cities by the invading Mughal army.

First Attempt

As vengeance, Rajaram's first attempt to despoil Akbar's tomb was in 1685. His Jat force was confronted 10 miles away from Sikandra by the regional Mughal faujdar, Mir Abul Fazl. Foiling his attempt, Fazl was severely injured in the attack and both sides had substantial casualties. This resulted in an increase of Fazl's mansab by 200 sawars by Aurangzeb, who also bestowed upon him the title of Iltifat Khan.^[14]^[15]

Second Attempt

Rajaram finally desecrated and plundered Akbar's tomb in 1688. Rajaram used the delay in the arrival of Agra's new faujdar, Shaista Khan, to his favour. The naib Muhammad Baqa was in charge in Agra, but did not confront Rajaram during this incident. He looted gold and silver articles and gems from the tomb.^[16]^[17] He damaged the mausoleum and destroyed any items he was unable to carry. Niccolao Manucci stated that the Jats also burned the remains of Akbar. The villages that maintained the Taj Mahal were ransacked and set on fire. Additionally, Jats captured Mughal officials at Palwal and plundered the Khurja pargana. In response to the inaction of Mughal officials, Aurangzeb reduced the mansab of Khan-i-Jahan and his naib (deputy) by 1000 sawars and 500 respectively.^[16]^[18]

Aftermath

Architectural historian Catherine Asher stated that the tomb's desecration "was perceived as a blow to Mughal prestige".^[17] Alarmed and angered by this incident, Aurangzeb summoned Raja Ram Singh to punish Rajaram and appointed him Mathura's faujdar. Singh was in Kabul, and died before he could undertake his new appointment. ^[16]Arrangements were also made for setting up thanas in the Mathura area. ^[19]

Gallery

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Parodi, Laura E. “A CREATIVE DIALOGUE: THE TIMURID AND INDO-MUSLIM HERITAGE IN AKBAR’S TOMB.” Rivista Degli Studi Orientali, vol. 74, no. 1/4, 2000, pp. 75–91. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41881081. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.
^ Hindu Shah, Muhammad Qasim. Gulshan-I-IIbrahimi. p. 223
^ Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan; Rogers, Alexander; Beveridge, Henry (1909–1914). The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri; or, Memoirs of Jahangir. Translated by Alexander Rogers. Edited by Henry Beveridge. Robarts - University of Toronto. London Royal Asiatic Society.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
^ “Selections from the Native Newspapers Published in the United Provinces of Agra & Oudh.” Selections from the Native Newspapers Published in the United Provinces of Agra & Oudh., Aug. 1905. JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25922623. Accessed 6 Dec. 2022.
^ Catherine Blanshard Asher, Catherine Ella Blanshard Asher, 1992, "Architecture of Mughal India - Part 1", Cambridge University Press, Volume 4, Page 108.
^ Edward James Rap; son, Sir Wolseley Haig and Sir Richard, 1937, "The Cambridge History of India", Cambridge University Press, Volume 4, pp.305.
^ Waldemar Hansen, 1986, "The Peacock Throne: The Drama of Mogul India", Page 454.
^ Rajagopalan, Mrinalini (Summer 2011). "From loot to trophy: the vexed history of architectural heritage in imperial India" (PDF). International Institute for Asian Studies. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
^ "Fascinating monuments, timeless tales". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 22 September 2003. Archived from the original on 29 October 2003.
^ Akbar's Tomb Archived 2010-06-19 at the Wayback Machine Archnet.org.
^ Akbar's Tomb Architecture of Mughal India, Part 1, Volume 4, by Catherine Ella Blanshard Asher. Cambridge University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-521-26728-5. p. 107.
^ Manucci, Niccolao (2010). Mogul India (1653–1708): Or Storia Do Mogor. Low Price Publication.
^ Ahmad, Aziz (1964). Studies in Islamic Culture in the Indian Environment. Oxford University Press. p. 95. OCLC 682954.
^ Dwivedi, Girish Chandra (1989). The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire. Arnold Publishers. p. 36. ISBN 978-81-7031-150-8.
^ Richards, John F. (2001) [1993]. The Mughal Empire. The New Cambridge History of India: The Mughals and their Contemporaries. Vol. 5. Cambridge University Press. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-52-125119-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dwivedi, Girish Chandra (1989). The Jats: Their Role in the Mughal Empire. Arnold Publishers. p. 37. ISBN 978-81-7031-150-8.
^ ^a ^b Asher, Catherine B. (2001) [1992]. Architecture of Mughal India. The New Cambridge History of India: The Mughals and their Contemporaries. Vol. 4 (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-521-26728-1.
^ Pande, Ram (1970). Bharatpur up to 1826: A Social and Political History of the Jats (1st ed.). Rama Publishing House. p. 7. OCLC 555482496.
^ Pande, Ram (1970). Bharatpur up to 1826: A Social and Political History of the Jats (1st ed.). Rama Publishing House. p. 8. OCLC 555482496.

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